Hello all,   I live in the Denver area (5280' & above) and have a P4 and and Insprire 1 PRO black and the I1 has high altitude props and makes a difference...Does anyone know if DJI will or is coming out with high altitude props for the P4?  Or carbon fiber props?

No, I've never heard of some plans

What are they never seen them, would like to have a set

Would they ever be needed or be of benefit ? The P4 already has a 6000m ceiling (and a 500m above home point limit); far higher than most are ever likely to see in a lifetime.

hallmark007 Posted at 2016-10-15 18:27
What are they never seen them, would like to have a set

The props have a greater angle then the originals, therefore, the performance is better.

Aardvark Posted at 2016-10-15 22:19
Would they ever be needed or be of benefit ? The P4 already has a 6000m ceiling (and a 500m above ho ...

It not a matter of ceiling height, but rather performance (high altitude).  And I mean high altitude as in above say 5,000'...not AGH.

My p4 has been great in the mountains of Colorado but would love to know if they made some of these.

ezdrew430 Posted at 2016-10-15 10:27
My p4 has been great in the mountains of Colorado but would love to know if they made some of these.

I have seen carbon fiber props offered by a 3rd party. Drone World sells them for the P4 for around a hundred bucks a set. I've read that these blades can overheat the motors. However, you sound a lot more experienced than I and I value your opinion. Cheers

I have seen carbon fiber props offered by a 3rd party. Drone World sells them for the P4 for around a hundred bucks a set. I've read that these blades can overheat the motors. However, you sound a lot more experienced than I and I value your opinion. Cheers

The Phantom has an operational ceiling of 6000 Metres, that's 19,685 feet, why do you need better performance than that? A Phantom has already been flown at a high base camp on ascent of K2 in the Himalayas, so they do work at very high altitudes.

ezdrew430 Posted at 2016-10-15 23:27
My p4 has been great in the mountains of Colorado but would love to know if they made some of these.

Yes, my P4 has work awesome when I was on top of a 14er...Do you live in Colorado?

Geebax Posted at 2016-10-16 06:48
The Phantom has an operational ceiling of 6000 Metres, that's 19,685 feet, why do you need better pe ...

I'm not looking to go 6000 meters, I was just asking and curious because they make them for the Inspire and on the Inspire, it makes it a little bit more stable...again, just curious

ProQuad Posted at 2016-10-17 22:54
Yes, my P4 has work awesome when I was on top of a 14er...Do you live in Colorado?

Yes I live in CO. I was in the mountains on saturday 400feet up with 30mph winds the other day and the only effect it had was a tiny wobble in footage, barely noticeable though. Landing in big gusts can be interesting though.

wcharwood Posted at 2016-10-16 00:24
I have seen carbon fiber props offered by a 3rd party. Drone World sells them for the P4 for around  ...

I'm curious as to why these would result in the motors overheating because I ordered a set just today.

Can anyone from DJI comment on this?

DJI Phantom 4 Carbon Fiber Props

shkillshot Posted at 2016-10-18 09:00
I'm curious as to why these would result in the motors overheating because I ordered a set just to ...

Hi, you do realize these are the screw on props with the interchangeable adapter?

Yes, I do realize that. Will using these void the drone warranty?

shkillshot Posted at 2016-10-17 21:00
I'm curious as to why these would result in the motors overheating because I ordered a set just to ...

Holy shit those are expensive! You can buy a battery with that money.

shkillshot Posted at 2016-10-18 12:00
I'm curious as to why these would result in the motors overheating because I ordered a set just to ...

Why would you pay that much for a set of props?
They won't make any measurable improvement to your Phantom's performance.
DJI design engineers already gave a lot of thought to prop design.
They didn't just grab whatever was available cheap.

KillShot Posted at 2016-10-18 12:53
Yes, I do realize that. Will using these void the drone warranty?

Obviously if they cause a problem, DJI would walk away and say it's not their fault.

Jack Fedele Posted at 2016-10-18 10:03
Holy shit those are expensive! You can buy a battery with that money.

It's only money and I already have 4 batteries.

labroides@yahoo Posted at 2016-10-18 10:16
Why would you pay that much for a set of props?
They won't make any measurable improvement to your ...

It's only money and unless you have tried them yourself, how exactly would you know whether or not they will provide any measurable improvement in performance?

If you truly believe that engineers, DJI or otherwise, think of everything when it comes to increases in performance then you are mistaken. Countless innovations across every industry have been made because people didn't accept that the performance or product they were getting was the best it could be.

For starters, carbon fiber is much stronger than plastic while weighing less at the same time so if for no other reason than not having to replace the broken plastic rotors and less wear on the motor bearings, that makes the new props worth the money.

labroides@yahoo Posted at 2016-10-18 10:17
Obviously if they cause a problem, DJI would walk away and say it's not their fault.

As I would no doubt expect.

Someone above mentioned using these would cause the motors to overheat so I'm hoping someone from DJI can offer some input, not to approve use of them but to offer an opinion or whether or not such a claim has any merit.

KillShot Posted at 2016-10-18 14:29
It's only money and unless you have tried them yourself, how exactly would you know whether or not ...

Sounds like you already know all about it.

I've observed many, many flyers get excited by the lure of expensive badass, black props, imagining they will do great things for their Phantoms.
But no-one has ever come up with any measurable improvement.
Although a couple have lost their Phantoms through substandard aftermarket props.
Yes, carbon fibre is stronger and stiffer ... but is that good?
The flex of DJI props is an important part of the design and help resuce vibration that could be transmitted back to the camera and gimbal.
I've not had a problem with my lightweight, flexible DJI props breaking because I don't crash my Phantom into obstacles.
But if you do with your expensive black props, they won't have any give and stand a good chance of shattering.
I have no idea of overheating issues, never heard about that.
I'd imagine that if they are a similar weight and provide a similar resistance that shouldn't be an issue.
Good luck with them.

labroides@yahoo Posted at 2016-10-17 22:40
Sounds like you already know all about it.

I've observed many, amny flyers get excited by the lure ...

No sir, and I have neither claimed nor insinuated as much but when unfounded claims are being made by someone who has no experience with a product or proof of their claims, I'm going to call into question what they have to say.

I agree with what you're saying about the plastic propellers, them being more flexible so they'll be less likely to break. I am very careful with my drone but as we all know, accidents do happen so I'm sure propellers will break at some point.

I appreciate your input nonetheless.

I was shooting around 6000 feet in Montana a while ago... I didn't like the way my P4 performed at all.  Seemed like it was struggling when I was flying within a dozen feet or so of the ground.  Wasn't as noticeable at altitude since little fluctuations in performance wasn't as noiceable.  I updated the firmware and software all around, recalibrate everything, and same problem.  The bird bobbled and weaved.  Wouldn't fly smoothly in a straight line, even over good terrain (plenty of detail, no high grass, no water, etc).  It was frustrating because I was on a paid job.  Brought the drone back to the east coast and it flies smoothly once again.

I was literally in the wilderness in Montana, no metal structures, no wires, nothing that could cause interference.  There wasn't even cellular.  So I assumed after 6 days of flying a sick bird in Montana, and then returning to sea level and having it fly perfectly... that altitude was the culprit?

Mabou2 Posted at 2016-10-19 07:43
I was shooting around 6000 feet in Montana a while ago... I didn't like the way my P4 performed at a ...

Most unlikely that altitude was the problem or everyone flying at 6000 ft would be complaining (and they don't).
It's certainly not a prop issue.
You mention trouble when close to the ground but that it was good higher up.
Was VPS on?  Did you try turning it off?
The other things you mention (wires, cellular, steel, updating and recalibrating) would have had no effect on what you describe.

Heya Labroides...  The only reality I have is that the drone flew great before I left for Montana, flew terribly in Montana, and flew great when I got back from Montana.  I didn't try turning off VPS, and it was on.  I didn't really say that it was good higher up, it still fluctuated a lot in hovering and moving, but higher up you just don't notice those moves in the video as much.  Flying at eye level (which I like to do, emulating a camera dolly move) was impossible in Montana... too much vertical and horizontal motion.

There are a lot of people here citing the altitude specs of the Phantom as a means of dismissing the benefit of high altitude props. That doesn't help answer this question. It is simple physics that the higher the altitude the thinner the air and thus to maintain the same level of performance with increasing altitude the thrust from the props would need to increase as well. Sure, you may be able to fly the Phantom at 20,00 feet but you are not getting near the performance at that you would at sea level.

It makes perfect sense to install thrust boosted props for higher elevations.

RSW Posted at 2016-11-3 07:54
There are a lot of people here citing the altitude specs of the Phantom as a means of dismissing the ...

RSW,  You are 100% correct.  I do notice a difference on my I1 PRO between the high altitude and the regular props, hence why I started this feed; to ask if they make them or are going to make them.  The pitch of the props is greater, I do believe, therefore better thrust w/o compromising the motors as much.

RSW Posted at 2016-11-2 15:54
There are a lot of people here citing the altitude specs of the Phantom as a means of dismissing the benefit of high altitude props. That doesn't help answer this question. It is simple physics that the higher the altitude the thinner the air and thus to maintain the same level of performance with increasing altitude the thrust from the props would need to increase as well. Sure, you may be able to fly the Phantom at 20,00 feet but you are not getting near the performance at that you would at sea level.

It makes perfect sense to install thrust boosted props for higher elevations.

If one is looking to improve speed/overall performance at high altitudes a coarser pitch prop should  make a significant difference. Normally aspirated piston aircraft with a variable pitch prop achieve maximum ground speed at an elevation of around 8K ft. ASL.  If the engines are turbo or supercharged then its in the realm of about 20K ft. plus....where the air is even thinner.  (All this is due to the fact that the air is less dense, hence less drag imposed on the airframe.)  Since we're talking about electric motors instead of an air breathing internal combustion engine there is no loss of power at higher altitudes.  I would expect a significant improvement in ground speed with a coarser pitch prop on any drone at high altitude, unless the speed is electronically limited for some reason.

Mobilcams Posted at 2017-4-19 07:10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzLWdNfNj-4

Simply amazing.  Thank you for sharing this.  To my knowledge, DJI has only made high altitude props for the Inspire 1.  I do not know why they don't with any other aircraft they have or are making.  Good video, and again, thanks..

A larger propeller pitch increases the aircraft's propulsion force at altitudes with thinner air.
This product is manufactured by SZ DJI Baiwang Technology Co., Ltd. affiliated with DJI Group.

erichboese Posted at 2017-4-19 06:35
If one is looking to improve speed/overall performance at high altitudes a coarser pitch prop should  make a significant difference. Normally aspirated piston aircraft with a variable pitch prop achieve maximum ground speed at an elevation of around 8K ft. ASL.  If the engines are turbo or supercharged then its in the realm of about 20K ft. plus....where the air is even thinner.  (All this is due to the fact that the air is less dense, hence less drag imposed on the airframe.)  Since we're talking about electric motors instead of an air breathing internal combustion engine there is no loss of power at higher altitudes.  I would expect a significant improvement in ground speed with a coarser pitch prop on any drone at high altitude, unless the speed is electronically limited for some reason.

"I would expect a significant improvement in ground speed with a coarser pitch prop on any drone at high altitude, unless the speed is electronically limited for some reason."

The Phantom's speed is electronically regulated by the flight controller.
Unlike a fixed wing plane, revving the motors faster doesn't make the Phantom faster.
It makes it climb more.
The Phantom goes faster by tilting more.
Higher pitched props would give the drone the ability to push more thin air, so help staying up in high altitude areas.

Well as we all know I do fly at over 3000m often enough with my P3S.   Never had an issue with my drones flying capabilities. I am using the stock props.
High altitude flying is what my drone lives for.  

Hi, I live in Taiwan in the mountains and fly at altitudes over 11000 feet without any issues at all on my P3S. I don't seen why you would need to change props I still get around the same flight time up here as I do if I visit the plains near sea level.

This is a sunrise flight I did with high wind speeds at over 10500ft facing mountains where the sun comes over at 13000 plus feet.  Let the drone do it's thing just monitor power levels and low temperatures.

Geebax Posted at 2016-10-15 14:48
The Phantom has an operational ceiling of 6000 Metres, that's 19,685 feet, why do you need better performance than that? A Phantom has already been flown at a high base camp on ascent of K2 in the Himalayas, so they do work at very high altitudes.

I'd like to try that one day lol.  I'll have to settle for where I live for the time being.

Blackcrusader, we have all seen your video's of your high altitude flying, and I bet if they made the props for your P3S, you would notice a difference.  I have noticed a difference with mine on my I1P

ProQuad Posted at 2017-4-20 09:13
Blackcrusader, we have all seen your video's of your high altitude flying, and I bet if they made the props for your P3S, you would notice a difference.  I have noticed a difference with mine on my I1P

It's impossible to get the same performance at sea level than at 10000 feet, with the same propellers, due to density altitud.   For sure !!!

Bullflyer Posted at 2017-4-20 11:03
It's impossible to get the same performance at sea level than at 10000 feet, with the same propellers, due to density altitud.   For sure !!!

Bullflyer...agreed.